What is Slow Travel?
Slow Living or Slow Travel is more than just a way of doing things. It’s a way to live a more meaningful life, where you have time to prepare your food, talk to your neighbors, and use your money wisely. For some people, it’s also a protest against the way industry is making us consume the Earth’s assets and natural resources.
Some Characteristics of Slow Travel
- Visit fewer places with more time.
- Support local businesses to shop, sleep, eat, and visit.
- Take time to connect with the place and with yourself.
- Visit the destination more like a local, for example, using the bus service.
Slow travel means getting to know the locals, their food, culture, and way of life. It also means supporting local businesses and exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations. Slow travel recognizes that we need to take our time to experience new things and process them. As novelist Pico Iyer writes in The Art of Stillness, “movement makes the most sense when set within a frame of stillness.”
Slow travel has been around for a while, but it’s gained traction in recent years as more people become more conscious of how they want to live and the impact they’re having on the environment.
It’s an approach to travel that’s all about taking your time and experiencing everything as deeply as possible. Instead of trying to see as much as possible, slow travelers focus on really getting to know the places they visit.
How to Embrace a Slower Way of Travelling
- Journey Slower
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Life’s about the journey, not the destination.” A slow travel mindset embraces this idea. It’s about taking the time to enjoy the journey and experience the places you visit. Slow travel often involves traveling by train, walking, boat, or bike. These modes of transport allow you to take in your surroundings and connect with the places you visit. In recent years, there’s been a growing trend towards slow travel, as people become more aware of the environmental impact of air travel. Slow travel is a great way to see the world and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Walk More
The saying goes, “Not all those who wander are lost.” And it’s true. Exploring a new place on foot is one of the best ways to experience it. Getting off the beaten path to see where and how the locals live can be an enriching part of your trip. You’ll also likely find restaurants that cater to residents, rather than tourists. Just make sure you have a sense of where not to wander, though. For some areas, it may be best to take a local guide.
- Look Up
When we’re navigating, we’re often staring at a paper map or a smartphone app. Slow travelers make time to look up and take in the architecture or natural surroundings of where they are, not just where they’re headed.
- Stay Longer
A slower approach to travel means seeing less but experiencing places more deeply. To allow yourself to connect with a destination, and travel using trains or slower modes of transport, you might want to stay away for longer. If extending a trip isn’t possible or affordable, a slow travel mindset encourages you to try to pack less in, allowing you to spend more time enjoying fewer locations.
- Eat Local
Supporting local businesses, and especially local and regional culinary traditions, is a big part of the slow food movement, which sparked the broader slow movement. Trying the authentic cuisine of a place is a big part of slow travel, helping visitors connect with the locals, their land, and their traditions.
- Connect
In addition to taking your time to experience a destination, you can connect more deeply by talking to locals or taking part in activities like cooking or language classes. We also often travel because we need to take a break from our busy schedules at home.
Traveling is a great way to reconnect with yourself and get a refreshed outlook on life. But don’t wait until your next vacation to slow down and take some time for yourself.
Why Travel Slow?
Slow travel boasts a range of advantages over traditional jam-packed holiday itineraries. Some of the benefits of slow travel can include:
- Returning home rested and revitalized
- Escaping your comfort zone
- Expanding your horizons and knowledge of other cultures first-hand
- Contributing more to the local economy
- Making lasting, unique memories
- Reconnecting with yourself
- Reducing environmental impact
Adopting a slow travel mindset can also help you see your surroundings with fresh eyes. In other words, the art of slow travel doesn’t mean to travel far, it just means to travel deeply.
Peace ♥ Harmony, Cheryl
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